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Lavrov says Moscow worried US may be shielding Nusra militants from strikes

Russia’s top diplomat noted that the situation around Jabhat al-Nusra remains tense

© AP Photo/Hussein Malla

MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Russia is not getting clear answers from the United States why Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists are systematically shielded from strikes of the international coalition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Friday.

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Moscow suspects Jabhat al-Nusra could be used to topple Assad

"The US-led coalition is behaving the same way it did under President (Barack) Obama’s administration - they are doing everything to shield Jabhat al-Nusra from strikes," Lavrov stressed. "This is a very alarming issue. We often ask about this during our contacts with American partners, and we don’t get any clear answers, but would like to have them."

Russia’s top diplomat noted that the situation around Jabhat al-Nusra remains "an enigma."

As a branch of al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra has been included in the list of terrorist organizations of the UN Security Council, the US and many other Western countries, and also Russia, he noted. "In fact, we see the fight against the Islamic State but we don’t notice any fight against Jabhat al-Nusra and its structures, which have mixed up with it.".

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov Islamic State Syrian conflict

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